Business banking links
I have been filling out the resources with links to the business sections of the high street banks. I’m not recommending any in particular as I don’t have enough experience of each bank to do so, so this is just unbiased linkage - a good place to start if you want to see what the different banks are offering.
To bid or not to bid?
An interesting opportunity came up today. One of the groups that we’re a member of sent out a notification of a couple of tenders - one for branding / printed materials and the other for a website for a company down here. Sounds like a really interesting project. What we’re trying to decide is whether to have a stab at bidding for it. It would be a fantastic opportunity for us to work on a larger project, however we’re not sure that we’re ready for something quite that big.
On the one hand it would be a brilliant experience for us. If we don’t get it then we will have had the experience of putting a bid together, which is something that we can draw on later. If we do get it then we will have a high-profile website to go in our portfolio. But on the other hand we’re nervous about biting off more than we can chew.
What’s the best approach? Do we say, “ok that’s an interesting project but we’re not in the right place for it at the moment, we’ll keep working on building our business and keep our eye open for other opportunities”? Or do we say, “sod it, let’s give it a shot - you never know, we may get it and we can figure out the finer details on the job”? Are we being risk averse if we don’t go for it or does it mean that we’re recognising our limitations?
Google Advertising Tools
Firstly, it doesn’t seem to know who exactly it is aimed at. It is split into four sections:
1. Making money with your site, which contains just the sort of information that I was looking for. It’s ideal for someone looking to set up a website that aims to make money through advertising. There is a small amount of technical information but I would say it’s still suitable for someone who is new to websites.
2. Getting the most from AdSense, which follows the first section well. It provides a good overview of using AdSense, including information on setting up an account. Again seems to be aimed pretty much at the beginner.
3. Then we come to Working with AdWords, which is about using Google AdWords to advertise your website. A bit of a departure from making money from a site as this involves spending money on advertising yourself. However, it’s still relevant as to make money from a site you need to attract visitors and this is one way to do so. The level is very much the same as the first two sections, giving you practical advice about setting up your AdWords campaigns.
4. Using the AdWords APIs. Now this is where I start to have a real problem. The previous sections appear to be ideal for somebody setting up a money-making website for the first time. However, it then leaps into APIs which is full-on programmer territory and useful for someone managing a large number of AdWords accounts. Eh? If sections 1-3 are for you then you’d find yourself lost in section 4, but if you are a web marketing professional looking to utilise AdWords APIs in managing your accounts then sections 1-3 would be way too basic for you. I’m somewhere between the two - I have experience of web marketing and therefore am familiar with quite a lot of the concepts in the beginning of the book but am new to using advertising on a website so found that information invaluable, however I’m not a programmer as such so found it difficult to follow section 4 (in fact I have to admit to giving up on it).
So who exactly is the target audience of this book?
Secondly (sorry, it’s a long time since the ‘firstly’), as someone with an in depth knowledge of how websites are put together and experience of web marketing, I had issues with some of the information given in the search engine optimisation (SEO) bits of the book. Some of it I would say is wrong or at the very least not the best approach.
To sum up I would say that the book is worth a read but do consider what you want to get out of it first, and do take care about which SEO techniques you apply - if you’re unsure read up on them elsewhere first.
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My first article
I’ve had a stab at my first article for the site: The pros and cons of running a business from home
If anyone has any comments please leave them here. Am happy to add to the article of anyone has any suggestions.
Inland Revenue website
Another addition to the resources page: HM Revenue & Customs. I know, none of us are very keen, but there is a lot of information on the website (if you can actually find the bit you need). The good thing (looking on the positive side) is that you can do a lot of things online these days - I find that much easier than filling out endless forms by hand.
Not very good at Sundays
I don’t know what it is but I’m never very good at Sundays. I always get a bit restless or inspired to do some work or just plain old depressed. I’m having a restless one today. Instead of just chilling out and having a break from things I find myself thinking about all the things that I could be doing. I’m trying very hard not to do any actual work but I do wonder how much I benefit from a day off if I’ve got work constantly going round and round in my head. Is there any hope for me?
It’s a glorious day here in West Cornwall so we’ve got a walk planned for a bit later. That should help me in various ways - bit of exercise, some fresh air and stunning scenery to help clear my head. That should do the trick!
The Right Way to Write
The thing that has stayed with me since finishing it is the importance of writing as clearly as possible. Don’t use big words for the sake of it or make your sentences too complicated - otherwise you may come across as pompous (got a feeling I may have been guilty of that at times) and the intended audience may have trouble understanding what you mean. Keep it simple and clear so you won’t be misunderstood. However, what I do need to be careful about is not being so direct that I come across as abrupt - I think in some cases writing does need ‘fluffing up’ up bit to ensure that you get the right tone.
Overall definitely worth a read. It gets you thinking about your writing style and some of the habits you may have got into, and can be used as a practical guide to every-day business writing.
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Women in Rural Enterprise
I’ve added a link to Women in Rural Enterprise to the resources page. WiRE is an excellent organisation for women running businesses in rural areas. Regular newsletters, local meetings, annual conferences and a website to promote your business - and all for a very reasonable annual fee.
Grappling with project management
Wouldn’t it be lovely if you could get a spec for a project and just work through it until it’s done? Nice and simple, begin at the beginning and end at the end. Unfortunately, it rarely happens like that does it?
What I’m grappling with at the moment is how to deal with projects when clients change their minds part way through - whether it’s what the website does or the information it contains. Of course minor changes to content aren’t a big deal, that’s the great thing about websites. But the more the project moves away from the original specification the harder (and more long-winded) it can get.
How do other businesses deal with this? I’m sure it’s not just web design that this happens to. How far away from the original spec can a project go before we have to start mentioning ‘additional charges’…? It’s a tough one.
Flurry of emails
Communication by email can be a funny thing sometimes. We send emails off to our clients asking for feedback on a project and after a couple of days we start wondering if they are going to respond. We like to involve our clients throughout the whole web design process and value their input, but it can sometimes be a struggle.
However, today we had a flurry of emails. It was quite astonishing. It seemed that all the replies we had been waiting for came in at once. All positive stuff as well. Of course that means more work for us as we have to follow up on the comments but great to keep the momentum going on our current projects.
